Loose-leaf storage device



March 1, 1955 L. D. KERWIN LOOSE-LEAF STORAGE DEVICE Filed De c. 21,1953 i INVENTOR. .'7 m; 0. A's-www- United States Patent LOOSE-LEAFSTORAGE DEVICE.

Leonard D. Kerwin, Detroit, Mich.

Application December 21, 1953, Serial No. 399,200

9 Claims. (Cl. 281-44) This invention relates to a looseleaf storagedevice, and more particularly to a sheet storage magazine together witha sheet e ecting device, and a second storage magazine removablypositioned over the first storage magazine.

it is the object of the present invention to provide a looseleaf storagedevice, which can store a series of looseleaf sheets, together with asheet ejecting mechanism.

It is the further object of the present invention to provide a secondarysheet storage device removably associated with the first sheet storagemechanism.

It is the further object of the present invention to provide a looseleafsheet storage device, together with a suitable writing platform forminga part thereof.

It is the ob ect of the present invention to provide a novel andsimplified sheet storage mechanism, which is simplified in structure andWhich eificiently carries out the above defined objects.

These and other objects will be seen from the following specificationand claims, in conjunction with the appended drawing, in which Fig. 1 isa plan view of the present looseleaf sheet storage device.

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an elevational section of the bottom portion of the sheetstorage device with a writing platform mounted thereon.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary section taken on line 6--6 of Fig. 5,illustrating the sheet ejecting mechanism on an enlarged scale.

It will be understood that the above drawing illustrates merely apreferred embodiment of the invention, and that other embodiments arecontemplated within the scope of the claims hereafter set forth.

Referring to the drawing, the present looseleaf sheet storage deviceincludes a hollow wedge-shaped base 11, which includes the spacedupwardly inclined side walls 12, whose top edges are inclined upwardlyat 13, as shown in Fig. 2.

Opposed slots 14 are formed in the top edges of side walls 12,intermediate their ends, and are adapted to cooperatively receive theopposed cars 31 which project laterally from opposite sides of theplatform 30, when said platform is positioned upon the base 11, in themanner illustrated in Fig. 4, using the same as a writing desk.

The hollow base 11 includes the bottom wall 15, the upright rear wall 16and the upright front wall 17, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

A horizontally disposed ledge 18 is secured to front Wall 17 andprojects inwardly thereof intermediate its top andbottom longitudinaledges, said ledge preferably extending betweenside walls 12, asillustrated in Fig.5.

A transverse slot 19 is formed throughout the front wall 17 at its lowerend adjacent bottom wall 15, through which the top of a series of sheetsof paper 20 resting on base may be ejected, in the manner hereafterdescribed.

As generally indicated at 21 in Fig. 2, there is provided above thehollow base 11, a hollow sheet enclosure which includes the spacedupright side walls 22, whose upper edges are horizontally disposed, butwhose lower edges are tapered upwardly and cooperatively register withthe upwardly tapering edges 13 of base 11, in the manner illustrated inFig. 2. Said enclosure also in- 2,703,Z45 Patented Mar. 1, 1955 eludesthe upwardly inclined bottom 23, the upright front end 25 and thesubstantially upright rear end 28,'

0 as shown in Fig. 2, the said front end 24' of the enclosure includesat its opposite sides the upright rearwardly extending portions 24 whichengage around the front portions of the side walls 12 of the hollow base11.

By this construction, the hollow base is snugly interlocked andpositioned within and between the portions of the front and rear ends ofenclosure 21, which extend below said enclosure bottom 23.

The hollow sheet enclosure 21 is open at its upper end as defined by thetop marginal edge 26. The upright sides 22 have opposed notches 32formed in their upper edges 26 intermediate their ends and are adaptedto cooperatively receive the outwardly projecting cars 31 which extendfrom opposite sides of the horizontally disposed platform 30, which isnested within the upper open end 26 of sheet enclosure 21. Platform 30at its forward end has a downwardly depending flange 33, which restsupon the bottom 23 of said enclosure, the opposite end of platform 30supportably' resting upon the transverse ledge 29 which projectsinwardly from the rear end 28, as shown in Fig. 3, being positioneddownwardly of its upper edge. The flange 33 of platform 30 terminates atits opposite ends in the side flanges 34, which depend from oppositesides of platform 30 and snugly and cooperatively engage the innersurfaces of the upright sides 22.

As illustrated in Figs. 2, 5 and 6, there is provided a sheet ejectingmechanism upon the side wall 12 of the hollow base 11. This ejectorincludes the hollow elongated housing 35, which is oppositely slotted at36 and contains upon its interior the coiled spring 37. Transverselyarranged arm 38 at one end extends through the slots 36 and ispositioned at the forward end of housing 35 and operatively retained insuch position by coiled spring 37. Handpiece 40 is secured upon theouter end of arm 38 and is adapted to slidably engage the outsidesurface of housing 35 as arm 38 is manually retracted against saidspring.

The sheet engaging foot 41 is pivotally mounted at the reduced inner end41 of arm 38 and has a sheet engaging element 42 at its lower endadapted to operatively and frictionally engage the top-most of a seriesof sheets 20, shown in Fig. 3. The sheet engaging element 42 isconstructed of a flexible resilient substance, such as sponge rubber orthe equivalent, adapted to frictionally engage the top of said sheets20.

In operation, the ejector arm 38 is withdrawn by'the handle 40 with thesheet engaging element 42 moving rearwardly over the top sheet 20 withinbase 11. Thereafter, the handle 40 is released and automatically returnsto the position shown in Fig. 6 under the action of spring 37, with thesheet engaging element 42 frictionally engaging and forwardly projectingthe top sheet 20 outwardly of base 11 through the slot 19.

In operation, there is provided the hollow base 11, within whichlooseleaf sheets may be stored and ejected as desired. There is alsoprovided an interlockingly arranged secondary sheet enclosure 21, whichis positioned upon the base 11 with its downwardly depending end portions retainingly engaging the opposite ends of said :base to provideacompact' portable .unit.

Enclosure 21 is also adapted to contain sheets of paper, such as thesheets 20 after they have been used, or for any similar storage purpose.

In operation, with the base 11 resting upon a table or other flatsurface, the sheet enclosure 21 may be manually removed and placed toone side. Thereafter, the cover element 30 may be manually removed bygrasping the ears 31 and lifting the same, after which said cover 30 maybe re-applied to the top surface of base 11 with the same ears 31cooperatively positioned within the opposed recesses 14 formed in thetop edges of side walls 12 of said base. The depending flange 33 of thecover 30 or platform, supportably bears upon the ledge 18, and the rearedge of said cover rests upon the top edge of the rear wall 16, in themanner shown in Fig. 4. By this gonstruction, there is provided aconvenient writing platorm.

Having described my invention, reference should now be had to the claimswhich follow for determining the scope thereof.

Iclaim:

l. A looseleaf sheet storage device comprising a hollow wedge-shapedbase including a bottom wall, upwardly inclined upright side walls, andupright front and rear end walls, a horizontally disposed ledge securedto and projecting inwardly of said front end wall intermediate its topand bottom, an upwardly inclined writing platform positioned within theopen top of said base with its forward end resting upon said ledge andits rear end resting upon said rear end wall, there being opposed slotsin the top edges of side walls intermediate their ends, and opposed earsprojecting laterally from opposite sides of said platform intermediateits ends supportably positioned within said slots.

2. A looseleaf sheet stora e device comprising a hollow wedge-shapedbase, including a bottom wall, upwardly inclined upright side walls, andupright front and rear end walls, a horizontally disposed ledge securedto and projecting inwardly of said front end wall intermediate its topand bottom, an upwardly inclined writing platform positioned within theopen top of said base with its forward end resting upon said ledge andits rear end resting upon said rear end wall, a downwardly dependingflange at the front end of said platform resting upon said led e. anddepending flanges at the sides of said platform nested within said sidewalls.

3. A looseleaf sheet storage device comprising a hollow wedge-shapedbase including a bottom wall, upwardly inclined upright side walls. andupright front and rear end walls, a horizontally disposed ledge securedto and projecting inwardly of said front end wall intermediate its topand bottom. an upwardly inclined writing platform positioned within theopen top of said base with its forward end resting upon said ledge andits rear end resting upon said rear end wall, the front end wall of saidbase at its bottom having a transverse slot throughout, said baseproviding a storage magazine for a stack of loose sheets of paper, and areciprocal sheet ejector mounted on one side wall pro ecting above saidstack of sheets and operatively en agable with the top sheet forprojecting the same through said slot.

4. A loosel-eaf sheet storage device comprising a hollow wedge-shapedbase including a bottom wall, upwardly inclined upright side walls, andupright front and rear end walls, a horizontally disposed ledge securedto and projecting inwardly of said front end wall intermediate its topand bottom. an upwardly inclined writing platform positioned within theopen top of said base with its forward end resting upon said ledge andits rear end resting upon said rear end wall, the front end wall of saidbase at its bottom having a transverse slot throughout, said baseproviding a storage magazine for a stack of loose sheets of paper, areciprocal sheet ejector mounted on one side wall projecting above saidstack of sheets and operatively engagable with the top sheet forprojecting the same through said slot, said ejector including anoppositely slotted elongated housing, an arm extending transverselythrough the slots of said housing at its forward end, a handle on theouter end of said arm, a sheet engaging foot pivotally mounted upon theinner end of said arm, and a coiled spring in said housing normallymaintaining said arm at the forward end of said housing slots, saidhandle being rearwardly movable against said spring whereby whenreleased it projects forwardly with said foot forwardly displacing asheet of paper.

5. A looseleaf sheet storage device comprising a hollow wedge-shapedbase including a bottom wall, upwardly inclined upright side walls, andupright front and rear walls, and a hollow sheet enclosure mounted uponsaid base including an upwardly inclined bottom, upright sides, andsubstantially upright front and rear ends, said front and rear endsextending below said bottom and positionable around and co-extensivewith the front and rear end walls of said base, a horizontally disposedplatform within the top open end of said enclosure, a flange dependingdownwardly from the front end of said platform resting upon said bottom,a ledge projecting inwardly of said rear end adjacent its top, the rearen of said platform resting upon said latter ledge.

6. The storage device of claim 5, there being opposed slots in the topedges of said sides intermediate their ends, and opposed ears projectinglaterally from opposite sides of said platform intermediate its endssupportably positioned within said slots.

7. The storage device of claim 5, the front end wall of said base at itsbottom having a transverse slot therethrough, said base providing astorage magazine for a stack of loose sheets of paper, and a reciprocalsheet ejector mounted on one side wall projecting above said stack ofsheets and operatively engageable with the top sheet for projecting thesame through said slot.

8. The storage device of claim 5, the front end wall of said base at itsbottom having a transverse slot throughout, said base providing astorage magazine for a stack of loos-e sheets of paper, a reciprocalsheet ejector mounted on one side wall projecting above said stack ofsheets and operatively engageable with the top sheet for projecting thesame through said slot, said ejector including an oppositely slottedelongated housing, an arm extending transversely through the slots ofsaid housing at its forward end, a handle on the outer end of said arm,a sheet engaging foot pivotally mounted upon the inner end of said arm,and a coiled spring in said housing normally maintaining said arm at theforward end of said housing slots, said handle being rearwardly movableagainst said spring whereby when released it projects forwardly withsaid foot forwardly displacing a sheet of paper.

9. A looseleaf sheet storage device comprising a hollow wedge-shapedbase including a bottom wall, upwardly inclined upright side walls, andupright front and rear walls, a hollow sheet enclosure mounted upon saidbase including an upwardly inclined bottom, upright sides, andsubstantially upright front and rear ends, said front and rear endsextending below said bottom and positionable around and co-extensivewith the front and rear end walls of said base, a horizontally disposedplatform within the top open end of said enclosure, a flange dependingdownwardly from the front end of said platform resting upon said bottom,a ledge projecting inwardly of said rear end adjacent its top, the rearend of said platform resting upon said latter ledge, a horizontallydisposed ledge secured to and projecting inwardly of said front end wallintermediate its top and bottom, said sheet enclosure being removablefrom said base, and said platform being removable from said sheetenclosure and adapted for positioning within the open top of said base,with its forward end resting upon said ledge and with its rear end rest'g upon said rear end wall. T

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,175,950 Brock Oct. 10, 1939 2,246,262 Nelson June 17, 1941 2,355,299Johnson Aug. 8, 1944 2,591,727 Schultz Apr. 8, 1952 2,591,728 SchultzApr. 8, 1952 2,623,761 Condon Dec. 30, 1952

